The 2016 Honda Pilot is bigger, lighter, and better

Time for other crossovers to sweat, because Honda just got serious.

While the lame-duck second-gen SUV has been incrementally improved since its 2009 debut, the big three-row crossovers it competes against, notably the Nissan Pathfinder and the GM Lambda-platform triplets, have since leapfrogged it in terms of features and amenities.

Hopefully the competition enjoyed the head start, because that's over. The new Pilot addresses every conceivable deficiency of the outgoing model while building on its inherent strengths.

It weighs less

Honda cut 300 pounds off the new Pilot. In an era characterized by ever bigger and heavier cars, this is a giant win that will pay dividends in other areas.

It's better looking

I personally like the trucky, utilitarian profile of the gen-2 Pilot, but the reality is that new crossovers are more stylish, and Honda had to play catch-up. Gone is the wide-eyed surprised-face. The 2016 Pilot's front-end styling is clearly influenced by the CR-V—not a bad thing, given that those sell like black-market Twinkies at a weight-loss retreat. In back, the look is reminiscent of the newer Acura crossovers, so the Honda family gene pool is well represented.

It's still big—three inches longer than the 2015 model, in fact—but it wears its new clothes well. It's a more athletic and modern presentation compared to the vehicle it's replacing.

It should be dramatically more efficient

As of this writing, we don't have power and fuel economy specs (we'll update if they're announced at the press conference) but this much is known: The 2016 Pilot is still powered by a 3.5-liter V6, but its a new one, and it (finally) comes paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission as standard equipment.

That's one additional cog over the 2015 model, and combined with the new, lighter curb weight, should immediately address a criticism that has nagged at the second-gen Pilot since its arrival: lackluster fuel economy.

The story gets better for drivers who opt for higher-spec Pilots. Upper trim levels will be available with a 9-speed automatic swiped from Acura, and I'd bet on a highway number in the vicinity of 30 mpg if not better. Honda aims to claim class-leading fuel-economy for the new Pilot—a 180-degree turn from the '15 model, and a selling point they already use to great effect with the 2015 CR-V.

Front-and all-wheel drive will be offered as before, but the AWD setup is, like most everything else, new.

The interior's way better

The cavernous passenger cabin is one of the reasons people buy the Pilot, and that won't change for 2016. It simply happens to be a much nicer place sit, too. Honda has upscaled the cockpit, which now looks like it could just as easily come from an Acura. New soft-touch materials are employed and small details like LED accent lighting help further class up the joint.

The twin-touchscreen infotainment control setup that has spread throughout numerous HondAcura vehicles lands in the new Pilot. That greatly reduces the number of buttons on the dash, but it also takes away common-sense stuff like dials for volume and radio tuning. Perhaps it's different in lower-trim models (that's the case with the Accord, for example)—the car in these photos is obviously a loaded model.

Alert readers will also see that the transmission gear selector is the push-button unit featured in the TLX V6 and RLX, presumably for the 9-speed. Aft of that is a big storage bin that can stow all manner of large items. There are now five USB ports, four of which have 2.5-amp power output.

A heated steering wheel, heated/cooled front seats, and heated second-row seats are now available, and overhead, a panoramic roof setup will be offered. For the first time, a seven-passenger seating option will be available. It deletes the second-row middle seat in favor of a low console that facilitates a walk-through to the third row. And yes, you can still spec the 8-passenger config. Third-row access is made even easier via a simple push-button slide feature.

More cargo space

The '16 Pilot's three inches of added overall length contribute directly to the amount of stuff you can pack into its gaping open tailgate. In this case, if you remove the false floor to expose the hidden cargo well, you can actually stow an 82-gallon cooler in back with the third-row seats still in use. It's not necessarily Odyssean in terms of capacity, but it'll be closer than it's ever been.

All the new safety aids

Honda Sensing, the driver-aid package that includes a combination of the right-side LaneWatch display, blind-spot monitors, the rear camera, and additional available features including lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, collision-mitigation braking, rear cross-traffic monitoring, and road-departure mitigation.

That stuff, combined with the new stiffer body structure, is expected to net Honda NHTSA 5-star and IIHS Top Safety Pick+ ratings.

Honda Sensing package is impressive in the CR-V when so equipped, and it should be a well-received addition to the Pilot.

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